This flourless chocolate Swiss roll is dense, chewy and moist.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup cocoa
• ¾ cup milk
• 4 eggs, separated
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 300 ml cream
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a standard 20cm x 30cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.
2. Mix the cocoa and milk in a small saucepan and heat gently until the cocoa has dissolved. Set aside to cool thoroughly.
3. Using an electric beater, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the cooled milk mixture.
4. In a scrupulously clean bowl, beat the egg whites with clean dry beaters until stiff but not dry. Fold in the cocoa mixture.
5. Quickly spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until well risen and just firm to the touch.
7. Working quickly, turn out onto a sheet of clean baking paper, remove the baking paper lining and cover with a lightly damp tea towel. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before rolling up (in a clean tea towel) and leaving until cold.
8. Whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence together. Unroll the sponge and spread the cream mixture over the sponge leaving a 1cm edge at one of the shorted edges. From the opposite shorter side, roll up, enclosing the cream. Have the seam underneath.
9. Place on a long cake plate and dust with icing sugar before serving cut in thick slices.

Cooks Tips

Have the cream well-chilled to get the best volume and texture when whipping.